The Internal Revenue Service is making technology investments to move away from some programs it says started during the Kennedy Administration. Congress repeatedly slashed and froze its budget over the past five years, so it's important for the IRS to know exactly how much its IT investments will cost. According to the Government Accountability office, that's not exactly the case today. David Powner is director of information technology management issues at the GAO. He shared three recommendations to improve how the IRS tracks its investments with Federal News Radio's Jared Serbu on In Depth with Francis Rose.

The IRS has a problem. It needs to send refund checks to law-abiding taxpayers in a timely fashion, while also looking out for identity thieves. A new report from the Government Accountability Office says one way to do that is to change the formula the agency uses to assess identity theft fraud. Last year, the IRS handed out $6 billion in fraudulent claims. James White, the director of tax issues at GAO, joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive with more on the report's findings.

Improper payments associated with the military's TRICARE health system added up to about 0.3 percent of DoD's overall costs. Improper payments associated with Medicare were more than 10 percent of overall costs for the Health and Human Services Department. Vijay D'Souza is director of health care issues at the Government Accountability Office. On In Depth with Francis Rose, he said TRICARE's low rate of improper payments might be too good to be true.

The Small Business Administration has a problem with its Historically Underutilized Business Zones designation. According to a new GAO report, SBA has no way to inform businesses when they might no longer qualify as a HUBZone. Or when the zone they operate in might not longer be considered a HUBZone. For more on the report, and what SBA can do to improve, Bill Shear, director of Financial Markets and Community Investment Issues at the GAO, joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive.

The Pentagon has decades-old management problems it needs to scrub if it wants to get off the High-Risk List at the Government Accountability Office. But the department has changed a lot since GAO first added its business transformation plan to the list in 2005. Zina Merritt is director of defense capabilities and management issues at GAO. On In Depth with Francis Rose, she explained how close DoD is to getting its plan off the High-Risk list.

The 2015 edition of the High Risk List is out from the Government Accountability Office. It includes two new areas, and no areas came off the list this year. Gene Dodaro is Comptroller General of the United States. He introduced the List this week and testified about it to both the House and the Senate. On In Depth with Francis Rose, he said he gets one question about the High Risk List more than any other.

The Veterans Affairs Department has hundreds of land-use agreements worth tens of millions of dollars. It needs help in managing them. A new study by the Government Accountability Office found several agreements were recorded multiple times, and some revenue hadn't even been reported. Steve Lord, the managing director of Forensic Audits and Investigative Service at GAO, joined the Federal Drive with Tom Temin to explain more about how land-use agreements work and what GAO found.

As it does every two years at the start of a new Congress, the Government Accountability Office will release its "High Risk List" today. The list calls attention to agencies and programs GAO auditors believe are vulnerable to "fraud, waste, abuse and mismanagement." Don Kettl, a professor at the University of Maryland's School for Public Policy, joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive with more on the guide, and what's different from the 2013 version.

Two new entries join this year's High-Risk List from the Government Accountability Office. Nextgov reports the GAO includes IT acquisition and veterans health care in its biennial risk assessment. Keith Trippie is CEO of Trippie Group, and former executive director of the Enterprise System Development Office in the CIO Office of the Homeland Security Department. On In Depth with Francis Rose, he described the challenges agencies face to get off the list.

Good help is hard to find. That's especially true at federal agencies looking for smarts in cybersecurity and financial auditing. The latest look-see by the Government Accountability Office shows a number of mission-critical skills gaps in federal agencies. What can agencies do to fill the gaps? Robert Goldenkoff, the director of Strategic Issues at GAO, joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive to offer some answers.

Bid shopping is back on the radar screens of agencies across government. Prime contractors usually only do 10 to 40 percent of the work on federal construction projects. The Government Accountability Office says some of their subcontractors are accusing them of manipulating their agreements to pay them less and pocket the difference. Marie Mak, director of acquisition and sourcing management issues at the GAO, tells In Depth with Francis Rose how often prime contractors use bid shopping.

The Pentagon wants to start the process of cutting 20 percent from its headquarters staff. But it still doesn't know who should stay, who should leave, or how to find that out, according to the Government Accountability Office.

The Defense Department knows it wants to reduce the size of its headquarters, but it doesn't know exactly how. John Pendleton, director of defense capabilities and management issues at the Government Accountability Office, tells In Depth with Francis Rose how the Pentagon should plan to trim down its management offices.

A protest by a California man, who claimed his entry in a Federal Trade Commission contest wasn't properly evaluated, was dismissed by the Government Accountability Office in 2013. However, the protester, David Frankel, followed up by suing in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. In this week's Legal Loop segment, procurement attorney Joe Petrillo, a partner at the law firm Petrillo & Powell, joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive to discuss this new ruling further.

The Homeland Security Department is falling short on securing federal buildings from cyber attack. Your office may be vulnerable to attacks that would keep you from getting in or out, or could make the climate in the building unbearable. It may even encounter other problems that could impact the ability of your agency to meet its mission. Mark Goldstein is director of Physical Infrastructure Issues at the Government Accountability Office. On In Depth with Francis Rose, he said building security is far more complicated than it used to be.

A list of agencies at high risk of waste, fraud and abuse is due from the Government Accountability Office this year. Linda Springer is the executive director of the government and public sector practice for Ernst and Young. In her Top 3 for 2015, she tells In Depth with Francis Rose why she's curious about the GAO High Risk List and how Congress will react to the report.